Siberian cat
The Siberian cat was considered a common roofer in his homeland for years. Today, he is a favorite of salons, who is less allergic to allergy sufferers, and his best friend is a man.
Nature
Siberian cat is one of the largest domesticated purebred cats. It cannot be overlooked for other reasons. His impressive fur and innate grace don’t let him look away from him. Despite its considerable dimensions, it exhibits remarkable agility and jumping, which it retains even into old age.
He loves people and is not ashamed to show his feelings for them. He has a strong need for contact, but on his own terms. It is he who decides when and how stroking occurs. Even if he does not want to be comfortable, he will always be present somewhere near his guardian, because he is extremely sociable. He will follow the man from room to room, but he does not necessarily sit on his lap.
A characteristic feature of the Siberian cat is a bit of wildness that remained in it despite domestication. Although he loves the company of people, he is also very independent and – like all cats – he does not like coercion. Unrestrained curiosity orders him to explore all the nooks and crannies. Fortunately, it can be brought up relatively easily. However, you should start this process as early as possible. Siberian cat, especially at a young age, needs a lot of attention from his guardian.
In general, he is brave and confident, easily adapts to new situations. However, sometimes there are shy individuals within the breed that will lead a more stable lifestyle.
Like most forest cats, the Siberian cat likes to climb, and the penchant for resting on wardrobes or shelves suspended from the ceiling seems to only confirm this. Certainly, a lot of joy will give him a special pole with platforms, on which he will be able to do gymnastics and sharpen claws. Despite the considerable activity, it does not show destructive tendencies. It does not shun water. He likes water games and tolerates swimming well.
Siberian cat is a cat of great temperament, cheerful and very inquisitive. He is interested in the environment and takes an active part in the life of the family. An excellent friend for children – patient, forgiving and always willing to play. It tolerates the presence of other animals, but you would prefer to have a guardian just for yourself – if you bring a new companion into your home, proper socialization will be needed.
Has highly developed vocal skills. He likes to “talk” with people and communicates them easily, through various forms of meowing, that he needs something. It has a wide range of sounds: from a high tone reminiscent of twittering, to a deep, melodious purring.
It adapts to staying permanently in the apartment, but will also be happy to use the balcony or garden aviary protected by a net, because it loves to feel the wind in the fur. You do not have to worry about having a cold, because his coat perfectly protects him from adverse weather conditions. He is a very good hunter – the outgoing “Siberian” can bear a lot of rodents and birds home.
Siberian cat. Advantages and disadvantages
Disadvantages
- as a kitten, he needs more attention from his guardian
- he is a bit stubborn – he is a cat who always has his opinion
- likes to climb – high scratching post recommended
- he doesn’t like loneliness
- vocalizes a lot
- he loses his hair and doesn’t like combing, which makes his everyday care difficult
Advantages
- very healthy and resistant breed
- rather, there is no tendency to damage (which does not mean that he will not scratch the furniture – he can do it if he does not get his own scratching post)
- he is emotional and very sociable, but not obtrusive
- with proper socialization will accept other cats, as well as dogs
- it can be both an outgoing cat and an outgoing cat
- less allergic due to the reduced content of saliva in the protein responsible for allergic reactions
Siberian cat. Health
The Siberian cat as a natural breed developed in the difficult and changing climatic conditions of central and northern Russia. Thanks to this, it is exceptionally robust, healthy and resistant. Of the predispositions typical of the breed, only hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is mentioned. The disease is genetic, but myocardial hypertrophy may also occur as a result of e.g. hyperthyroidism, congenital heart defects (e.g. aortic stenosis and, as a consequence, hypertension), acromegaly, and may also be a consequence of myocarditis (e.g. viral diseases, including leukemia).
Another disease that can make life difficult for the Siberian cat is FUS. It is a syndrome of diseases, among which is cystitis, as well as lower urinary tract inflammation.
As representatives of the semi-long-haired breed, these cats are also exposed to the formation of pilobezoars in the digestive tract, i.e. hair balls accumulating during care. Prophylactically recommended the use of peeling paste.
Feeding
Siberian cat requires a well-balanced diet and good-quality food. He is picky. It can be fed with a diet, but it requires quite advanced knowledge. If we compose a diet ourselves, we should supplement it with supplements and vitamins.
Care
The coat of the Siberian cat does not tend to be tangled and does not require complicated care – just comb it once every few days. Only during periods of molting do this treatment more often, systematically removing dead hair. Unfortunately, the “Siberian” usually does not like combing, so you should get used to it from a small age.
Since in nature this cat was often forced to wade in shallow water, it tolerates baths quite well. However, these are not needed too often. The fur is covered with a kind of greasy layer that provides water resistance and softness.
If he is an outgoing cat, do not cut his claws. Short claws will prevent the “Siberian” from escaping to a safe tree in case of danger.
It is worth taking care of its teeth – it relatively often succumbs to tartar, which can be dangerous to health. It’s best to get the cat used to clean your teeth from a small age.
History
The history of “Siberians” is quite poorly documented. The breed has existed for so long that it is virtually impossible to determine its reliable origin. It is suspected that it arose as a result of the interbreeding of indigenous cats from Siberia with domestic cats, which were brought by settlers (often exiles).
The Siberian cat (“sibirskaja koschka”) is a natural breed, created without human intervention. Its unique features have developed in native Siberia. Before the 20th century, few people in Russia showed interest in breeding purebred cats. The Siberian cat was considered a common roofer. His hunting skills were valued both in the villages and in the cities. The number of cats grew, but they lived half-wild.
In Russia, the Siberian cat was known for a long time (apparently, from the eleventh century, he guarded the monasteries and protected them from rodents). He could be found everywhere – he was the personification of a proletarian animal. To this day, he is the most common cat in Russian homes. It was only thanks to political changes and the opening of borders that the Siberian cat became known outside its homeland.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, several “Siberians” came to Europe. They were shown at an exhibition that took place in 1871 in the Crystal Palace in London. They were noticed and described by Harrison Weir (father of the cat lovers movement) in the book “Our cats and everything about them” (1889). These were the first documented records about this breed.
After the October Revolution, when the communist authorities ruled the Soviet Union, keeping cats at home became banned. It was primarily about serious nutritional deficiencies. At a time when interest in new breeds flourished in Europe and the USA, the Siberian cat must have suffered from the ruthless policy. Breeding could not develop until the 1980s.
Once they realized what the treasure of the Siberian cat was, he began to be massively invited home. Finally, the first club of lovers of the ‘Kotofiel’ breed was created and thanks to him the first cat exhibition was organized in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad). It was 1987, and the “Siberian” was then called the “Siberian forest cat”. Roman (“tabby” with white) and Mars (blue brindle point type) were exhibited there. Based on the appearance of these two individuals, a breed standard was developed.
In 1990, the American Persian cat breeder, Elizabeth Terrel, in exchange for her four persians received three Siberian cats (daughters and son Roman). They were the first “Siberians” in the USA. In Great Britain, the Siberian cat appeared only in 2002.
He was pre-registered in 1991, but only in 1997 the American organization TICA (International Cat Breeders Association) recognized him as a full-fledged breed. FIFe (International Federation of Felinology) did it in 1998.
The first Siberian cat named Bajra Rołas came to Poland in 1989, before the official recognition of the breed. Jolanta Sztykiel brought him to start the first Polish Siberian cattery.
Template
Siberian cat – Half-haired cats – II cat. By FIFe
EMS code: SIB
- Origin: Russia
- Character: inquisitive, friendly, sociable and emotional.
- Activity: active, energetic, agile; he likes playing and climbing, he does not avoid water.
- Size: medium to large, strong, well-muscled.
- Weight: males 7-10 and even 12 kg, females 4-6 kg
- Body: Slightly elongated, strong and athletic; the figure cannot give the impression of being angular, it should be rather rounded; the neck is quite wide and the chest is covered with a beautiful oval ruff, which cannot be excessively long.
- Head shape: triangular, slightly convex forehead, rounded chin, well-developed cheekbones, set on high.
- Ears: quite large, wide at the base, slightly bent forward and rounded at the end, covered with tufts of hair inside.
- Eyes: large, slightly oval, oblique; green or amber, independent of the color.
- Nose: Long, with a slight breakthrough.
- Tail: long and bushy, tapering towards the end, does not molt in summer.
- Limbs: medium length, hindleg slightly longer than forelegs; feet large, well hairy between the toes.
- Coat: semi-long, coat hair thick, close-fitting to the body. Soft undercoat – varies depending on the season, in winter it is double, dense and compact, almost disappears in summer; there is a rich collar on the neck (it should not, however, dominate too much), on the thighs trousers and a generous tail feather. The outer coat is waterproof thanks to oiling.
- Color: available in two types of colors: classic and neva masquerade. In the first, all colors and all varieties with white are allowed, except for chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and markings. White color may appear in the residual form, e.g. as a star, flame, medallion on the stomach, on the chest, on the paws. In the neva masquerade type, only point types (mask, ears, paws, tail) are allowed.
- Resistance / susceptibility to diseases: resistant
- Lifespan: around 12-15 years
Interesting facts
The Siberian cat grows for a long time – it reaches physical maturity only at the age of 3 years. It may take up to 5 years to mature sexually.
The Siberian cat has a very rich repertoire of sounds – it can not only mew in dozens of ways, but also tweet, trill and chatter. This is definitely a talkative breed.
In Russia, “Siberian” has enjoyed recognition and sympathy for centuries. He is the main character of many folk stories. Usually, positive attributes and magical skills were attributed to him. He was seen as a symbol of happiness and prosperity. It was believed that when moving to a new home, a cat should always be the first to cross the threshold – it was a good omen for the future.
Residents of Siberia considered him to be the “watchman” of the house, because he was able to react with a specific purr at the sight of an approaching bypass stranger.
There are opinions that the Siberian cat does not cause allergies. Although this is probably not entirely true, in fact “Siberian” does not cause such strong symptoms as other races. Research on this subject is still ongoing, but it has already been proven that the saliva of this cat does not have as much Fel d 1 protein (responsible for allergic reactions) as in other cats.
Although the word “forest” has been removed from the breed’s name (to distinguish the breed from the Norwegian forest cat), in English terminology you can still find various terms: “Siberian Forest Cat”, “Siberian” or “Siberian Cat”.
In 2008, a new breed was singled out: neva masquarade. This is a sister breed of Siberian cat. They are different only in color and eye color. Neva always has blue eyes (the darker the better) and point marking. This is probably the result of a cross with Siamese cats, and because the Siberian cat cannot be crossed with other breeds, it was necessary to create a new pattern.